June turned out to be quite a busy and productive month for FMC, with
continued work on media ownership issues, a trip out to Apple’s
campus for an iTunes seminar, and an important settlement in the webcasting
world. We get down to details below.
An “FMC Classic” article from June 2003 that summarizes the benefits and challenges of the iTunes Music Store when it was first launched and made available for independent labels and artists. read more
In the words of Phil Collins: "I can feel it coming in the air tonight…Hold On!"
Or better stated, in the words of Patti Smith: "The
people have the power."
A good friend of FMC — John Nichols — once said, “The
civil rights movement didn’t start in the 60s.” In other words,
there were good people in America fighting segregation and racism for
years and years and years before they finally reached the historic moment
when a national movement came together and change was possible. This change
didn’t happen by accident. It was the cumulative result of years of preparation,
education and organizing which finally came to full flower as a bus boycott
that captured the imagination of a country.
Good afternoon. I’d like to thank Representative Conyers
for convening this important discussion. I’d also like to thank Wayne
State University for hosting us, Karen Morgan, and everyone responsible
for organizing the event. read more
Spring has finally sprung on the East Coast. With Congress
back in session this week, the FMC crew is ramping up for a busy month
as we approach the June 2 deadline on the media ownership rules. Plus,
lots of news on the digital distribution front. Read on!
Good afternoon. Thank you very much for giving me some time to speak
to you. I want to lend my apologies to those of you who were expecting
T Bone Burnett. I am the minor star substitute in his place. My name is
Tift Merritt and I am a recording artist. You probably haven’t heard
of me because I’m not on your radio. That being the case I need to
give you a little background. I am on Lost Highway records, home also
of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. My debut record, “Bramble Rose”
was released last June. Time Magazine named it the #6 best record of 2002;
Billboard called me a “major new artist". CMT, the national
country music network, regularly played my video.
Quantum Career Development in an Transforming Industry
Peter Spellman
Saturday, March 1, 2003
Peter Spellman offer his thoughts on music career development amid new industry trends and look at their career implications and applications. He hopes both musicians and industry careerists will gather some guidance for setting their sails amidst the mercurial waves of a transforming entertainment business. read more
The unprecedented consolidation of the commercial radio industry that followed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has led to a loss of localism, less competition, fewer viewpoints and less diversity in radio programming in media markets across the country, according to “Radio Deregulation: Has It Served Citizens and Musicians?”
a study released today by the Future of Music Coalition (FMC). read more
Thanks for tuning in, and for hanging tight. As usual, we’ve been
hard at work on many fronts since we last wrote – organizing events,
writing, drafting responses to FCC rules, engaging with the low power
radio community, learning more about digital distribution services, and
grantwriting. We thank everyone who wrote sent us feedback about newsletter
#27 – we’re glad it was informative! But we also heard that
the newsletters are too long. So…we’re putting on our “economy
of language” hats for this report as well as shifting some longer
pieces to the website where folks can peruse them at their leisure. Let
us know if this makes the newsletters more readable. And now, the news: